Next day after school, we were going to visit Selina’s mother in the hospital. Selina didn’t look happy the whole day. I somehow wanted to make her happy, I didn’t know why, but it hurt me to see her sad.
Everybody was still talking about the singing competition, and I was patted on the back and congratulated all the time. All this attention might also be a reason why Selina was in bad mood.
At lunch, Calvin and Aaron was again talking about the word “”, sometimes with company by Hebe who said a sharp comment every time Calvin was alluding to her. I couldn’t see why he kept on making passes on her, when she hated him anyway. I wondered if Selina also hated me the same way, but only acted like she didn’t to get money. By that thought, my mood sank to the same point as hers. But why should I care? I also only pretended. But still…
I woke up from my thought when Calvin asked me something. Chun had already taken advantage of my absent-minded state to steal my food. But my appetite had sunk with my mood, so I didn’t scold him.
“Show, what’s wrong with you and Sel today? You both look so… grey,” Calvin said. Grey? What in hell should that mean?
Selina, who also woke up from her own thoughts, asked him:
“What do you mean by ‘grey’?”
“It’s like when one looks at you two, the colorful world turns into a depressed black and white movie.” He sure knew how to use his words.
“Oh…” Selina said, and turned back to sit and look at her food with an absent-minded look. Her food was gone. Chun sat like he hided something under the table. Now I had to do something.
“Chun! Isn’t your appetite a bit over?” I asked reproachful. He looked guilty at us.
Aaron said with a relaxed tone:
“If you keep on eating like that, you’ll become a food-monster. If you not already are one.”
“Tomorrow I’ll steal your food,” I said. Chun now looked at me with frightened eyes.
“You can’t!” he nearly shouted.
“If you can, I can too. Well, I’ll go buy some new food for you, Sel,” I said. Selina nodded like she was actually pretty indifferent, but I wanted to put myself in a better light before meeting her mom.
I went to the canteen in the cafeteria, and bought a lot of food. My trash was full when I came back.
“Wow! Since when did you become this generous?” Calvin asked. Chun looked at the trash with dreamy eyes.
“Here – this is for you, Sel,” I said, and placed the trash with the food in front of her. She looked surprised at it.
“You didn’t have to buy this much!” she exclaimed. I smiled, but not my usual bright pulse-stopping smile, more shy and friendly. This made Selina even more surprised, but maybe it was positive, because she started eating right after. By being happy again, my appetite came back, and I started to eat some of the lasagna (I had bought three big pieces).
Self-satisfiedness.
After school, we took the bus to the hospital. Selina instructed me nervously in how to do and behave, as she must have forgotten that I was from a rich and grand family, and was excellent in good behaviour when I wanted to. Or maybe, the last piece she didn’t know.
Right before we walked into the hospital, I quickly bought some cake in the bakery. Selina had told that this kind of cake was good for her mother, so I wanted to make a good impression. Selina seemed surprised.
“How did you suddenly change from ‘superficial and bragging’ to ‘generous and caring’? You’ve been acting weird the whole day,” she said.
“How can you know if I’m not always generous and caring? Maybe you just don’t notice it. A non-caring and non-generous guy would hardly let Chun eat my lunch everyday,” I defended myself. And I meant it. Selina suddenly looked thoughtful, like she had never considered this opportunity.
We arrived at her mother’s ward. Selina walked first into the room, then me after with the bag with cakes.
Her mother sat up in the bed, and smiled when she saw Selina.
“Who’s the young man you’ve brought with you?” she asked. She looked very friendly. She was pale and looked weak when she lied in the hospital bed, but she smiled and took Selina’s hand when she sat down next to her.
“He is…” Selina looked at me for help. I smiled the same smile as I smiled at lunch, and said:
“Let me present myself. My name is Show Luo, and I walk to the same school as Selina.”
“Oh, very nice to meet you, Mr. Luo,” Selina’s mother said.
“Just call me Show or Alan, everybody does that. Except for your daughter, who likes to call me ‘Pig’,” I said in a friendly and joking tone. Selina blushed a bit, but her mother just laughed.
“That sounds like my Selina! Then nice to meet you, Pig. My name is Louisa Ren, but you can just call me Lucy,” she said, and shoke my hand.
“Nice to meet you,” I said. Selina looked more at ease now. I hadn’t told anything about being her boyfriend, as I thought she should tell that herself if she wanted.
“Uhm… I bought some cakes on the way to here,” I said, dragged a chair next to Selina’s and sat down. I opened the bag.
“Selina said you like these cakes.”
“Oh, you shouldn’t have done that! Thank you very much, these cakes are good for my blood sugar,” her mom said. I liked her mom, she was a very straightforward and open person, but didn’t talk as much and constantly as my own mom.
“No problem, I like to spend money this way. I mean, when I’m visiting someone, it’s only right to bring something for them,” I said. I smiled at Selina, who after all still looked a bit nervous. She looked thankful at me, and looked like she had taken a decision.
“You are really too nice. Since when did you and Sel become friends? I don’t think I’ve heard about you before, and Selina would only bring her closest friends to visit me,” Lucy said a bit joking.
“Mom, Show is… Show is actually my boyfriend,” Selina said, and smiled faint. Her mother made big, surprised eyes, but then looked very happy.
“Why didn’t you tell me this before?! You can’t keep something like that a secret from me! Oh, so handsome he is. And very nice and caring…” Lucy continued to praise me, while I just sat and smiled a bit awkward. Selina blushed. I would never have thought that her mother was this nice.
When she finally was done praising me, congratulating and exclaiming her happiness, and we had eaten the cakes, I decided to give them some time alone together. Selina was now not the least nervous, only blushing a bit, so I excused myself, and walked out of the room.
It felt good to be praised only for my behaviour, personality and actions by a person who didn’t know about me before we met, instead of people with prejudices (be they good or bad), who judged me on how I looked from far away and the jokes I said. I finally felt that my person was special as it was, and I didn’t have to live up to some high expectations.
Selina called me inside again after a while, and we said goodbye and left.
Selina sighed relieved. I walked in silence.
“Thank you,” she said.
“W-what?”
“Thank you for being nice to my mom.”
“Thank you for letting me meet your mom,” I said. Selina looked shocked.
“Oh my God, you actually said ‘thank you’!”
Now I became a bit offended.
“Like I can’t?”
“Like you don’t use to.”
I had no comments to that.

***
Sorry for the wait!
Hope you like the chapter. Please comment! It means SO much! :]
Next chap will be written by Gril, and will be from Selina’s P.O.V.
- Blitz